Pavel Nikolayev: 30 medical workers were sentenced for committing official crimes last year

On March 31, at a session of Tatarstan Ministry of Health, Head of Tatarstan Investigation Department of Russian Investigation Committee Pavel Nikolayev reported that several tens of doctors and heads of Tatarstan medical institutions were brought to criminal responsibiliity for committing crimes in recent years.

The main issue discussed at the session was increasing professional responsibility of medical workers and officials of medical organisations.

Tatarstan Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov, Aide to Tatarstan President in social issues Tatyana Larionova, First Deputy Prosecutor of Tatarstan Artem Nikolayev, representatives of regional law-enforcement and judicial authorities took part in the session.

Speaking at the session, Pavel Nikolayev said that “bribery has become widespread in the healthcare sphere”.

Several cases of knowingly filling in false information regarding the number of days spent in hospitals were investigated. And if such cases used to occur in rural areas, last year they were revealed in Kazan, Pavel Nikolayev stated.

The problem of bribery and corruption in general is not the only one that we have to deal with together, Pavel Nikolayev noted adding that medical errors are a serious problem. According to him, the fact that 37 patients died last year is of great anxiety and concern. Nine patients suffered serious harm due to unskilled and poor quality medical treatment. The number of such facts is not reduced. It is of particular concern when children become victims of medical negligence.

Pavel Nikolayev told about cases of medical negligence and unskillfulness revealed in the republic.

He continued that 30 medical workers were sentenced for committing official crimes last year. Five persons were deprived of the right to hold posts in medical institutions as an additional punishment.

“We have investigated the circumstances that brought medical workers to commit the crimes. Among them are improper departmental control of subordinate employees or its complete absence, selfish interests, the desire to improve the performance and efficiency using illegal methods and, finally, a lack of preventive anti-corruption measures,” Pavel Nikolayev said.

In general, circumstances that brought to commit crimes are eliminated and guilty officials are taken to court. For instance, disciplinary actions were taken against 99 officials in 2013.